Clergymen&#39;s apparel



May 3, 1960 J. c WILLIAMS 2,934,768

CLERGYMEN'S APPAREL Fil'ed NOV. 5. 1956 CLERGYMENS APPAREL James C. Williams, Newark, NJ. Application November 5, 1956, Serial No. 620,530

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-103) This invention relates to apparel or vestments worn by clergymen of certain religious faiths.

A form of clerical vestment or apparel, now worn, comprises an outer shirt, usually black, having a neck band with collar button at the back only of the band. A clerical form of dickey, also usually black, comprising a separate or false shirt front and a black double collar,

United States atent with stiff inner and outer parts, joined at the bottom and open at the top, is worn over the shirt and tied by strings around the waist, the said double collar of the dickey being disposed around the collar or neck band of the shirt and rising above the latter. The outer part of the double collar is sometimes open in front, and its ends are fastened together, as by hook and eye, at the back of the neck, and cut to give access to a back collar button held in the shirt neck band, the front of the inner part of the dickey double collar being continuous, i.e., not open. A double or folded white, linen, reverse or clerical collar is then fitted into the double collar of the dickey, with the outer part of the white collar disposed between the inner and outer .parts of the black double collar, and the inner part of the white collar positioned inside the inner part of the dickey collar and next to the neck of the wearer. Such a structure involves two double collars, or four thicknesses, which, with the neck band of the shirt, makes five thicknesses around the neck, a structure which is unnecessarily and undesirably bulky and complicated. Also, the combination of shirt and dickey is too warm in hot weather. Furthermore, there is the added expense of the dickey, which usually costs as much as the shirt. A further undesirable feature of the vestment described is that the dickey, from its structure as a shirt front, with its strings tied around the waist, necessitates, for the sake of appearance, the wearing of a coat over it, on all occasions except the most informal, which amounts to practically all-day wear, even in hot weather.

According to the structure of my invention, the dickey, or at least the separate or false shirt front thereof, is eliminated, and a single detachable collar is substituted for the necessarily double collar of the dickey.

The new vestment is therefore simpler and less expensive than the old, and is cooler for hot weather wear, and, at least for informal use, does not require a coat.

The drawings illustrate the invention, and in these;

Fig. 1 is a front View of a clerical collar and shirt, according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the outer collar, full open or extended, which is to be detachably connected to the shirt, which collar is also the lower one;

Fig. 3 is a partial rear view of the collar of Fig. 2,, showing snap fasteners;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a neck band shirt, shown open, and as having snap fasteners on the band;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the shirt of Fig. 5, but shown buttoned; the view also shows the outer and lower collar partly fastened to the collar band of the shirt;

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the back, of the mentioned components;

Fig. 8 is a front view of the inner or white collar, buttoned in back;

Fig. 9 is a rear view of the collar of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the collar of Figs. 8 and 9, shown open;

Fig. 11 is a front view of the inner and outer collars, in combination or assembled position;

Fig. 12 is a side view of the collar combination attached to a neck band shirt; and

Fig. 13 is a view showing the combination of a double white collar, a stiffened collar band of the shirt, and the detachable outer collar.

Referring again to the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, the numeral 15 indicates a shirt, having a box pleat 16 in front and a neck band 17, the latter having front closing button 17A to engage in buttonhole 17B. The neck band may be double, as shown in Fig. 13, but is not necessarily so. It is shown double, i.e., having inner and outer layers or sections, so that a stiffening strip 18, as of Celluloid or synthetic plastic, may be inserted between the layers or sections, this being desirable when a double white collar is worn, but not necessary when a single white collar is worn. To allow the stiffening strip to be inserted into the neck band, the outer layer or section remains unstitched to the shirt for a short length at the back, as also usual in Z-ply neck band shirts for the insertion and removal of the back collar button.

As shown in Fig. 5, the neck band 17 carries a series of space snap fastener elements on the outer side or face and adjacent its lower edge. A stiff cloth collar 21, known in the art as a stave, without any attached front, and carrying complementary snap fastener elements 22, on its inner face and adjacent its lower edge, is secured to the neck band by the snap fasteners. Collar 21, as shown in Figs. 1 and 11, is open in front, that is, the ends do not meet in front. However, an equivalent collar may be continuous at the front, with the ends at the back. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, collar 21 has a V-shaped notch 25 at the back, to provide access to back collar button 26 (Figs. 5 and 6) which passes through, and is held in, the neck band 17 of the shirt.

A stilf white collar 30, of single section, as shown in Figs. 6, 8, 9, and 12, is inserted between the neck band 17 and black cloth collar 21. The White collar is higher than the black collar. The white collar 30 has a tab 31 at the lower edge of its front, and is shown in Figs. 8 and 10 as depending therefrom. To secure collar 30, the tab, which has a buttonhole 32, is folded or turned in so that it projects upwardly, in contact with the inner face of collar 30, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10. The tab is buttoned onto button 17A which is secured to neck band 17. Incidentally button 17A may be a removable collar button, and while it has just been stated that the mentioned tab is turned inwardly, in practice the collar is inverted, upper edge for lower edge, the tab buttoned, and the collar then righted, thus turning or folding the tab inwardly, this being the easier method. Collar 30 also has two buttonholes, 32 and 33, in back, which engage back collar button 26, held in the neck band.

Referring to Fig. 13, this view shows the positioning of a double or folded white collar, reversely worn, in relation to the snapped-on black collar and the neck band. The folded or double collar 35 has its outer section 36 inserted between the cloth collar 21 and neck band 17,

while its inner section contacts the inner face of the neck band. The double collar need be buttoned to the neck band at the back only.

What is claimed is:

l. A clerical vestrnent consisting essentially of the following components in the relation stated; a mans outer shirt of conventional structure, having a single neckband, opening in front, a series of spaced snap-fastener elements around the shirt neckband adjacent the lower edge thereof, a stave or stifi upright outer collar around the outer face of the neckband and extending thereabove, a series of spaced snap-fastener elements on the inner face only of the stave or outer collar, engaging the mentioned fastener elements on the neckband, and a still upright clerical or reverse collar inserted between the neckband and the stave and extending above the latter and adapted to be detachably secured at its ends to the back of said neckband, whereby the usual dickey or false front, over the shirt, is dispensed with.

2. A clerical vestment consisting essentially of the following components in the relation stated: a shirt of con- 4 ventional structure, having a single neckband, and opening in front, a stave or outer, upright, stifi collar around the outer face of the neckband and extending thereabove, means adjacent the lower edge of the neckband and the stave for detachably connecting the stave to the neckband, and a stiff, upright clerical or reverse collar inserted between the neckband and the stave and adapted to be detachably fastened at its ends to the neckband and extending above the stave, whereby the usual false front, over the shirt, is dispensed with.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 218,606 Waterman Aug. 12, 1879 260,790 Schneer July 11, 1882 1,154,909 Davidson Sept. 28, 1915 1,631,856 Dray June 7, 1927 2,102,198 Dickman et al. Dec. 14, 1937 2,686,915 Gatto Aug. 24, 1954 Mun, 

